The Beer Nut: Harpoon buys Clown Shoes, Down the Road opens, Utopias is out

Wednesday

Nov 1, 2017 at 11:31 AM

Norman Miller Daily News Staff @Norman_MillerMW

There is big news in the Massachusetts beer world this week as the Mass Bay Brewing Company (also known as Harpoon Brewery) announced it purchased Clown Shoes Brewing.

Founded in 2009, Clown Shoes has been brewing its beers at the Ipswich Brewing Company since it was founded by Gregg Berman.

“The Clown Shoes team shares our passion for brewing excellent beer and their irreverent, boldly-flavored takes on classics have earned them a loyal following,” said Dan Kenary, Harpoon CEO and co-founder. “We see tremendous potential for growth both regionally and nationally and are excited to work with Gregg and his team to take Clown Shoes even further.”

Clown Shoes brews a wide variety of beers, including many barrel-aged imperial stouts, Space Cake IPA and several other beers. They seem to add a lot of styles that Harpoon does not brew on a regular bases.

Clown Shoes is expected to brew about 17,000 barrels of beer (a barrel equals 31 gallons) this year and is available in 28 states.

Harpoon will take over brewing Clown Shoes beginning next week in Boston and soon after in Vermont, Kenary said. The purchase will not affect the price of Clown Shoes beers, and they’ll still be available in the same packaging, Kenary said.

Also this week, Down the Road Beer Co. is officially opening to the public on Friday, having its grand opening at 5:30 p.m.

Down the Road will be the third brewery located in Everett. The 199 Ashland St. brewery will feature beers such as Citra Pukwudgie, Peach Feyborn, Berliner Weisse and Wolfgeist Dunkel Lager.

The 2,500 square foot taproom has seating for 211, along with standing room. There is also a 35-foot bar, as well as numerous retro pinball games. There will also be bar snacks, food trucks and non-alcoholic drinks for non-beer drinkers.

“The mantra for Down the Road, from the beginning, has been to offer a craft beer experience, whether you’re a certified beer snob or just dabbling, that’s fresh, local and inspired,” said founder and brewer Donovan Bailey. “From the beer to the entertainment to the atmosphere, we aim to be your neighborhood watering hole no matter where you live.”

And finally, Samuel Adams 10th release of one of the strongest beers in the world – Utopias – has begun to hit liquor store shelves.

The first version of Utopias was released in 2002. It is now released every two years.

This year’s version comes in at a hefty 28 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). That’s roughly four and a half times the strength of their Boston Lager.

This year features a blend of Utopias aged in various barrels, including Scandinavian Aquavit barrels, Moscat barrels, Bourbon barrels and Ruby Port barrels. It is also brewed with several German Noble hops, and a blend of various yeasts created to ferment in such high alcohol.

“My original idea for Utopias was to push the boundaries of craft beer by brewing an extreme beer that was unlike anything any brewer had conceived,” said Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch. “We’ve continued to stretch the boundaries in brewing with the release of our 10th vintage and I’m proud to present to drinkers this lunatic fringe of extreme beer worthy of the Utopias name.”

Utopias is available now, but pricey, with a suggested retail price of $199.

Norman Miller is a Daily News staff writer. Email him at nmiller@wickedlocal.com or call 508-626-3823. Check out the Beer Nut blog at http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/section/blogs01?taxid=646&start=2. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @RealBeerNut and on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerBeerNut.